R O M A N S.

CHAP. X.

The dissolving of the peculiar church-state of the
Jews, and the rejection of that polity by the repealing of their
ceremonial law, the vacating of all the institutions of it, the
abolishing of their priesthood, the burning of their temple, and
the taking away of their place and nation, and in their room the
substituting and erecting of a catholic church-state among the
Gentile nations, though to us, now that these things have long
since been done and completed, they may seem no great matter, yet
to those who lived when they were doing, who knew how high the Jews
had stood in God's favour, and how deplorable the condition of the
Gentile world had been for many ages, it appeared very great and
marvellous, and a mystery hard to be understood. The apostle, in
this chapter, as in the foregoing and that which follows, is
explaining and proving it; but with several very useful
digressions, which a little interrupt the thread of his discourse.
To two great truths I would reduce this chapter:—I. That there is
a great difference between the righteousness of the law, which the
unbelieving Jews were wedded to, and the righteousness of faith
offered in the gospel, ver.
1-11. II. That there is no difference between Jews and
Gentiles; but, in point of justification and acceptance with God,
the gospel sets them both upon the same level, ver. 12 to the end.

1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God
for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them
record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness,
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one
that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness
which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall
live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith
speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend
into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up
Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word
is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is,
the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the
scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed.

The scope of the apostle in this part of
the chapter is to show the vast difference between the
righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith, and the
great pre-eminence of the righteousness of faith above that of the
law; that he might induce and persuade the Jews to believe in
Christ, aggravate the folly and sin of those that refused, and
justify God in the rejection of such refusers.

I. Paul here professes his good affection
to the Jews, with the reason of it (v. 1, 2), where he gives them a good
wish, and a good witness.

1. A good wish (v. 1), a wish that they might be
saved—saved from the temporal ruin and destruction that were
coming upon them—saved from the wrath to come, eternal wrath,
which was hanging over their heads. It is implied in this wish that
they might be convinced and converted; he could not pray in faith
that they might be saved in their unbelief. Though Paul preached
against them, yet he prayed for them. Herein he was merciful, as
God is, who is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. iii. 9), desires not the death
of sinners. It is our duty truly and earnestly to desire the
salvation of our own. This, he says, was his heart's desire and
prayer, which intimates, (1.) The strength and sincerity of his
desire. It was his heart's desire; it was not a formal
compliment, as good wishes are with many from the teeth outward,
but a real desire. This it was before it was his prayer. The soul
of prayer is the heart's desire. Cold desires do but beg denials;
we must even breathe out our souls in every prayer. (2.) The
offering up of this desire to God. It was not only his heart's
desire, but it was his prayer. There may be desires in the heart,
and yet no prayer, unless those desires be presented to God.
Wishing and woulding, if that be all, are not praying.

2. A good witness, as a reason of his good
wish (v. 2): I
bear them record that they have a zeal of God. The unbelieving
Jews were the most bitter enemies Paul had in the world, and yet
Paul gives them as good a character as the truth would bear. We
should say the best we can even of our worst enemies; this is
blessing those that curse us. Charity teaches us to have the best
opinion of persons, and to put the best construction upon words and
actions, that they will bear. We should take notice of that which
is commendable even in bad people. They have a zeal of God.
Their opposition to the gospel is from a principle of respect to
the law, which they know to have come from God. There is such a
thing as a blind misguided zeal: such was that of the Jews, who,
when they hated Christ's people and ministers, and cast them out,
said, Let the Lord be glorified (Isa. lxvi. 5); nay, they killed them, and
thought they did God good service, John xvi. 2.

II. He here shows the fatal mistake that
the unbelieving Jews were guilty of, which was their ruin. Their
zeal was not according to knowledge. It is true God gave
them that law for which they were so zealous; but they might have
known that, by the appearance of the promised Messiah, an end was
put to it. He introduced a new religion and way of worship, to
which the former must give place. He proved himself the Son of God,
gave the most convincing evidence that could be of his being the
Messiah; and yet they did not know and would not own him, but shut
their eyes against the clear light, so that their zeal for the law
was blind. This he shows further, v. 3, where we may observe,

1. The nature of their unbelief. They
have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God,
that is, they have not yielded to gospel-terms, nor accepted the
tender of justification by faith in Christ, which is made in the
gospel. Unbelief is a non-submission to the righteousness of God,
standing it out against the gospel proclamation of indemnity.
Have not submitted. In true faith, there is need of a great
deal of submission; therefore the first lesson Christ teaches is to
deny ourselves. It is a great piece of condescension for a proud
heart to be content to be beholden to free grace; we are loth to
sue sub forma pauperis—as paupers.

2. The causes of their unbelief, and these
are two:—(1.) Ignorance of God's righteousness. They did not
understand, and believe, and consider, the strict justice of God,
in hating and punishing sin, and demanding satisfaction, did not
consider what need we have of a righteousness wherein to appear
before him; if they had, they would never have stood out against
the gospel offer, nor expected justification by their own works, as
if they could satisfy God's justice. Or, being ignorant of God's
way of justification, which he has now appointed and revealed by
Jesus Christ. They did not know it, because they would not; they
shut their eyes against the discoveries of it, and love darkness
rather. (2.) A proud conceit of their own righteousness: Going
about to establish their own—a righteousness of their own
devising, and of their own working out, by the merit of their
works, and by their observance of the ceremonial law. They thought
they needed not to be beholden to the merit of Christ, and
therefore depended upon their own performances as sufficient to
make up a righteousness wherein to appear before God. They could
not with Paul disclaim a dependence upon this (Phil. iii. 9), Not having my own
righteousness. See an instance of this pride in the Pharisee,
Luke xviii. 10, 11.
Compare v. 14.

III. He here shows the folly of that
mistake, and what an unreasonable thing it was for them to be
seeking justification by the works of the law, now that Christ had
come, and had brought in an everlasting righteousness;
considering,

1. The subserviency of the law to the
gospel (v. 4):
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. The design
of the law was to lead people to Christ. The moral law was but for
the searching of the wound, the ceremonial law for the shadowing
forth of the remedy; but Christ is the end of both. See 2 Cor. iii. 7, and compare Gal. iii.
23, 24. The use of the law was to direct people for
righteousness to Christ. (1.) Christ is the end of the ceremonial
law; he is the period of it, because he is the perfection of it.
When the substance comes, the shadow is gone. The sacrifices, and
offerings, and purifications appointed under the Old Testament,
prefigured Christ, and pointed at him; and their inability to take
away sin discovered the necessity of a sacrifice that should, by
being once offered, take away sin. (2.) Christ is the end of the
moral law in that he did what the law could not do (ch. viii. 3), and secured the
great end of it. The end of the law was to bring men to perfect
obedience, and so to obtain justification. This is now become
impossible, by reason of the power of sin and the corruption of
nature; but Christ is the end of the law. The law is not destroyed,
nor the intention of the lawgiver frustrated, but, full
satisfaction being made by the death of Christ for our breach of
the law, the end is attained, and we are put in another way of
justification. Christ is thus the end of the law for righteousness,
that is, for justification; but it is only to every one that
believeth. Upon our believing, that is, our humble consent to
the terms of the gospel, we become interested in Christ's
satisfaction, and so are justified through the redemption that is
in Jesus.

2. The excellency of the gospel above the
law. This he proves by showing the different constitution of these
two.

(1.) What is the righteousness which is of
the law? This he shows, v.
5. The tenour of it is, Do, and live. Though it
directs us to a better and more effectual righteousness in Christ,
yet in itself, considered as a law abstracted from its respect to
Christ and the gospel (for so the unbelieving Jews embraced and
retained it), it owneth nothing as a righteousness sufficient to
justify a man but that of perfect obedience. For this he quotes
that scripture (Lev. xviii.
5), You shall therefore keep my statutes and my
judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. To this he
refers likewise, Gal. iii.
12, The man that doeth them, shall live in them.
Live, that is, be happy, not only in the land of Canaan, but in
heaven, of which Canaan was a type and figure. The doing supposed
must be perfect and sinless, without the least breach or violation.
The law which was given upon Mount Sinai, though it was not a pure
covenant of works (for who then could be saved under that
dispensation?) yet, that is might be the more effectual to drive
people to Christ and to make the covenant of grace welcome, it had
a very great mixture of the strictness and terror of the covenant
of works. Now, was it not extreme folly in the Jews to adhere so
closely to this way of justification and salvation, which was in
itself so hard, and by the corruption of nature now become
impossible, when there was a new and a living way opened?

(2.) What is that righteousness which is of
faith, v. 6, &c.
This he describes in the words of Moses, in Deuteronomy, in the
second law (so Deuteronomy signifies), where there was a
much clearer revelation of Christ and the gospel than there was in
the first giving of the law: he quotes it from Deut. xxx. 11-14, and shows,

[1.] That it is not at all hard or
difficult. The way of justification and salvation has in it no such
depths or knots as may discourage us, no insuperable difficulties
attending it; but, as was foretold, it is a high-way, Isa. xxxv. 8. We are not put to climb
for it—it is not in heaven; we are not put to dive for it—it is
not in the deep. First, We need not go to heaven, to search
the records there, or to enquire into the secrets of the divine
counsel. It is true Christ is in heaven; but we may be justified
and saved without going thither, to fetch him thence, or sending a
special messenger to him. Secondly, We need not go to the
deep, to fetch Christ out of the grave, or from the state of the
dead: Into the deep, to bring up Christ from the dead. This
plainly shows that Christ's descent into the deep, or into
hades, was no more than his going into the state of
the dead, in allusion to Jonah. It is true that Christ was in the
grave, and it is as true that he is now in heaven; but we need not
perplex and puzzle ourselves with fancied difficulties, nor must we
create to ourselves such gross and carnal ideas of these things as
if the method of salvation were impracticable, and the design of
the revelation were only to amuse us. No, salvation is not put at
so vast a distance from us.

[2.] But it is very plain and easy: The
word is nigh thee. When we speak of looking upon Christ, and
receiving Christ, and feeding upon Christ, it is not Christ in
heaven, nor Christ in the deep, that we mean; but Christ in the
promise, Christ exhibited to us, and offered, in the word. Christ
is nigh thee, for the word is nigh thee: nigh thee indeed: it is
in thy mouth, and in thy heart; there is no difficulty in
understanding, believing, and owning it. The work thou hast to do
lies within thee: the kingdom of God is within you,Luke xvii. 21. Thence thou
must fetch thy evidences, not out of the records of heaven. It
is, that is, it is promised that it shall be, in thy
mouth (Isa. lix. 21),
and in thy heart, Jer. xxxi.
33. All that which is done for us is already done to our
hands. Christ is come down from heaven; we need not go to fetch
him. He is come up from the deep; we need not perplex ourselves how
to bring him up. There is nothing now to be done, but a work in us;
this must be our care, to look to our heart and mouth. Those that
were under the law were to do all themselves, Do this, and
live; but the gospel discovers the greatest part of the work
done already, and what remains cut short in righteousness,
salvation offered upon very plain and easy terms, brought to our
door, as it were, in the word which is nigh us. It is in our
mouth—we are reading it daily; it is in our heart—we are, or
should be, thinking of it daily. Even the word of faith; the
gospel and the promise of it, called the word of faith because it
is the object of faith about which it is conversant, the word which
we believe;—because it is the precept of faith, commanding it, and
making it the great condition of justification;—and because it is
the ordinary means by which faith is wrought and conveyed. Now what
is this word of faith? We have the tenour of it, v. 9, 10, the sum of the gospel,
which is plain and easy enough. Observe,

First, What is promised to us:
Thou shalt be saved. It is salvation that the gospel
exhibits and tenders—saved from guilt and wrath, with the
salvation of the soul, an eternal salvation, which Christ is the
author of, a Saviour to the uttermost.

Secondly, Upon what terms.

a. Two things are required as
conditions of salvation:—(a.) Confessing the Lord
Jesus—openly professing relation to him and dependence on him,
as our prince and Saviour, owning Christianity in the face of all
the allurements and affrightments of this world, standing by him in
all weathers. Our Lord Jesus lays a great stress upon this
confessing of him before men; see Matt. x. 32, 33. It is the product of many
graces, evinces a great deal of self-denial, love to Christ,
contempt of the world, a mighty courage and resolution. It was a
very great thing, especially, when the profession of Christ or
Christianity hazarded estate, honour, preferment, liberty, life,
and all that is dear in this world, which was the case in the
primitive times. (b.) Believing in the heart that God
raised him from the dead. The profession of faith with the
mouth, if there be not the power of it in the heart, is but a
mockery; the root of it must be laid in an unfeigned assent to the
revelation of the gospel concerning Christ, especially concerning
his resurrection, which is the fundamental article of the Christian
faith, for thereby he was declared to be the Son of God with power,
and full evidence was given that God accepted his satisfaction.

b. This is further illustrated
(v. 10), and the
order inverted, because there must first be faith in the heart
before there can be an acceptable confession with the mouth.
(a.) Concerning faith: It is with the heart that man
believeth, which implies more than an assent of the
understanding, and takes in the consent of the will, an inward,
hearty, sincere, and strong consent. It is not believing (not to be
reckoned so) if it be not with the heart. This is unto
righteousness. There is the righteousness of justification and
the righteousness of sanctification. Faith is to both; it is the
condition of our justification (ch. v. 1), and it is the root and spring
of our sanctification; in it it is begun; by it it is carried on,
Acts xv. 9. (b.)
Concerning profession: It is with the mouth that confession is
made—confession to God in prayer and praise (ch. xv. 6), confession to men
by owning the ways of God before others, especially when we are
called to it in a day of persecution. It is fit that God should be
honoured with the mouth, for he made man's mouth (Exod. iv. 11), and at such a time has
promised to give his faithful people a mouth and wisdom,Luke xxi. 15. It is part of
the honour of Christ that every tongue shall confess, Phil. ii. 11. And this is said to be
unto salvation, because it is the performance of the
condition of that promise, Matt. x.
32. Justification by faith lays the foundation of our
title to salvation; but by confession we build upon that
foundation, and come at last to the full possession of that to
which we were entitled. So that we have here a brief summary of the
terms of salvation, and they are very reasonable; in short this,
that we must devote, dedicate, and give up, to God, our souls and
our bodies—our souls in believing with the heart, and our bodies
in confessing with the mouth. This do, and thou shalt live. For
this (v. 11) he
quotes Isa. xxviii. 16,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed; ou
kataischynthesetai. That is, [a.] He will not be
ashamed to own that Christ in whom he trusts; he that believes in
the heart will not be ashamed to confess with the mouth. It is
sinful shame that makes people deny Christ, Mark viii. 38. He that believeth will not make
haste (so the prophet has it)—will not make haste to run away from
the sufferings he meets with in the way of his duty, will not be
ashamed of a despised religion. [b.] He shall not be ashamed
of his hope in Christ; he shall not be disappointed of his end. It
is our duty that we must not, it is our privilege that we shall
not, be ashamed of our faith in Christ. He shall never have cause
to repent his confidence in reposing such a trust in the Lord
Jesus.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew
and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord,
who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say,
Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the
earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I
say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to
jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish
nation I will anger you. 20 But Esaias is very bold, and
saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest
unto them that asked not after me. 21 But to Israel he
saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a
disobedient and gainsaying people.

The first words express the design of the
apostle through these verses, that there is no difference between
Jews and Gentiles, but they stand upon the same level in point of
acceptance with God. In Jesus Christ there is neither Greek nor
Jews, Col. iii. 11. God
doth not save any nor reject any because they are Jews, nor because
they are Greeks, but doth equally accept both upon gospel terms:
There is no difference. For the proof of this he urges two
arguments:—

I. That God is the same to all: The same
Lord over all is rich unto all. There is not one God to the
Jews who is more kind, and another to the Gentiles who is less
kind; but he is the same to all, a common father to all mankind.
When he proclaimed his name, The Lord, the Lord god, gracious
and merciful, he thereby signified not only what he was to the
Jews, but what he is and will be to all his creatures that seek
unto him: not only good, but rich, plenteous in goodness: he hath
wherewith to supply them all, and he is free and ready to give out
to them; he is both able and willing: not only rich, but rich unto
us, liberal and bountiful in dispensing his favours to all that
call upon him. Something must be done by us, that we may reap
of this bounty; and it is as little as can be, we must call upon
him. He will for this be enquired of (Ezek. xxxvi. 37), and surely that which is
not worth the asking is not worth the having. We have nothing to do
but to draw out by prayer, as there is occasion.

II. That the promise is the same to all
(v. 13): Whoever
shall call—one as well as another, without exception. This
extent, this undifferencing extent, of the promise both to Jews and
Gentiles he thinks should not be surprising, for it was foretold by
the prophet, Joel ii. 32.
Calling upon the name of the Lord is here put for all practical
religion. What is the life of a Christian but a life of prayer? It
implies a sense of our dependence on him, an entire dedication of
ourselves to him, and a believing expectation of our all from him.
He that thus calls upon him shall be saved. It is but ask and have;
what would we have more? for the further illustration of this he
observes,

1. How necessary it was that the gospel
should be preached to the Gentiles, v. 14, 15. This was what the Jews
were so angry with Paul for, that he was the apostle of the
Gentiles, and preached the gospel to them. Now he shows how needful
it was to bring them within the reach of the forementioned promise,
an interest in which they should not envy to any of their
fellow-creatures. (1.) They cannot call on him in whom they have
not believed. Except they believe that he is God, they will not
call upon him by prayer; to what purpose should they? The grace of
faith is absolutely necessary to the duty of prayer; we cannot pray
aright, nor pray to acceptation, without it. He that comes to God
by prayer must believe, Heb. xi.
6. Till they believed the true God, they were calling
upon idols, O Baal, hear us. (2.) They cannot believe in him of
whom they have not heard. some way or other the divine
revelation must be made known to us, before we can receive it and
assent to it; it is not born with us. In hearing is included
reading, which is tantamount, and by which many are brought to
believe (John xx. 31):
These things are written that you may believe. But hearing
only is mentioned, as the more ordinary and natural way of
receiving information. (3.) They cannot hear without a
preacher; how should they? Somebody must tell them what they
are to believe. Preachers and hearers are correlates; it is a
blessed thing when they mutually rejoice in each other—the hearers
in the skill and faithfulness of the preacher, and the preacher in
the willingness and obedience of the hearers. (4.) They cannot
preach except they be sent, except they be both commissioned
and in some measure qualified for their preaching work. How shall a
man act as an ambassador, unless he have both his credentials and
his instructions from the prince that sends him? This proves that
to the regular ministry there must be a regular mission and
ordination. It is God's prerogative to send ministers; he is the
Lord of the harvest, and therefore to him we must pray that he
would send forth labourers, Matt.
ix. 38. He only can qualify men for, and incline them
to, the work of the ministry. But the competency of that
qualification, and the sincerity of that inclination, must not be
left to the judgment of every man for himself: the nature of the
thing will by no means admit this; but, for the preservation of due
order in the church, this must needs be referred and submitted to
the judgment of a competent number of those who are themselves in
that office and of approved wisdom and experience in it, who, as in
all other callings, are presumed the most able judges, and who are
empowered to set apart such as they find so qualified and inclined
to this work of the ministry, that by this preservation of the
succession the name of Christ may endure for ever and his throne as
the days of heaven. And those that are thus set apart, not only
may, but must preach, as those that are sent.

2. How welcome the gospel ought to be to
those to whom it was preached, because it showed the way to
salvation, v. 15.
For this he quotes Isa. lii.
7. The like passage we have, Nah. i. 15, which, if it point at the glad
tidings of the deliverance of Israel out of Babylon in the type,
yet looks further to the gospel, the good news of our salvation by
Jesus Christ. Observe, (1.) What the gospel is: It is the gospel
of peace; it is the word of reconciliation between God and man.
On earth peace, Luke ii.
14. Or, peace is put in general for all good; so it is
explained here; it is glad tidings of good things. The
things of the gospel are good things indeed, the best things;
tidings concerning them are the most joyful tidings, the best news
that ever came from heaven to earth. (2.) What the work of
ministers is: To preach this gospel, to bring these glad
tidings; to evangelize peace (so the original is), to
evangelize good things. Every good preacher is in this sense an
evangelist: he is not only a messenger to carry the news, but an
ambassador to treat; and the first gospel preachers were angels,
Luke ii. 13, &c. (3.)
How acceptable they should therefore be to the children of men for
their work's sake: How beautiful are the feet, that is, how
welcome are they! Mary Magdalene expressed her love to Christ by
kissing his feet, and afterwards by holding him by the feet,
Matt. xxviii. 9. And, when
Christ was sending forth his disciples, he washed their feet. Those
that preach the gospel of peace should see to it that their feet
(their life and conversation) be beautiful: the holiness of
ministers' lives is the beauty of their feet. How beautiful!
namely, in the eyes of those that hear them. Those that welcome the
message cannot but love the messengers. See 1 Thess. v. 12, 13.

3. He answers an objection against all
this, which might be taken from the little success which the gospel
had in many places (v.
16): But they have not all obeyed the gospel. All
the Jews have not, all the Gentiles have not; far the greater part
of both remain in unbelief and disobedience. Observe, The gospel is
given us not only to be known and believed, but to be obeyed. It is
not a system of notions, but a rule of practice. This little
success of the word was likewise foretold by the prophet (Isa. liii. 1): Who hath believed
our report? Very few have, few to what one would think should
have believed it, considering how faithful a report it is and how
well worthy of all acceptation,—very few to the many that persist
in unbelief. It is no strange thing, but it is a very sad and
uncomfortable thing, for the ministers of Christ to bring the
report of the gospel, and not to be believed in it. Under such a
melancholy consideration it is good for us to go to God and make
our complaint to him. Lord, who hath believed, &c. In
answer to this,

(1.) He shows that the word preached is the
ordinary means of working faith (v. 17): So then,ara—however; though many that hear do not
believe, yet those that believe have first heard. Faith cometh
by hearing. It is the summary of what he had said before,
v. 14. The
beginning, progress, and strength of faith, are by hearing. The
word of God is therefore called the word of faith: it begets
and nourishes faith. God gives faith, but it is by the word as the
instrument. Hearing (that hearing which works faith) is
by the word of God. It is not hearing the enticing words of
man's wisdom, but hearing the word of God, that will befriend
faith, and hearing it as the word of God. See 1 Thess. ii. 13.

(2.) That those who would not believe the
report of the gospel, yet, having heard it, were thereby left
inexcusable, and may thank themselves for their own ruin, v. 18, to the end.

[1.] The Gentiles have heard it (v. 18): Have they not
heard? Yes, more or less, they have either heard the gospel, or
at least heard of it. Their sound went into all the earth;
not only a confused sound, but their words (more distinct
and intelligible notices of these things) are gone unto the ends
of the world. The commission which the apostles received runs
thus: Go you into all the world—preach to every
creature—disciple all nations; and they did with indefatigable
industry and wonderful success pursue that commission. See the
extent of Paul's province, ch.
xv. 19. To this remote island of Britain, one of the
utmost corners of the world, not only the sound, but the words, of
the gospel came within a few years after Christ's ascension. It was
in order to this that the gift of tongues was at the very first
poured so plentifully upon the apostles, Acts ii. In the expression here he plainly
alludes to Ps. xix. 4, which
speaks of the notices which the visible works of God in the
creation give to all the world of the power and Godhead of the
Creator. As under the Old Testament God provided for the publishing
of the work of creation by the sun, moon, and stars, so now for the
publishing of the work of redemption to all the world by the
preaching of gospel ministers, who are therefore called
stars.

[2.] The Jews have heard it too, v. 19-21. For this he
appeals to two passages of the Old Testament, to show how
inexcusable they are too. Did not Israel know that the
Gentiles were to be called in? They might have known it from Moses
and Isaiah.

First, One is taken from Deut. xxxii. 21, I will provoke
you to jealousy. The Jews not only had the offer, but saw the
Gentiles accepting it and benefitted by that acceptance, witness
their vexation at the event. They had the refusal: To you
first, Acts iii. 26. In
all places where the apostles came still the Jews had the first
offer, and the Gentiles had but their leavings. If one would not,
another would. Now this provoked them to jealousy. They, as the
elder brother in the parable (Luke
xv.) envied the reception and entertainment of the
prodigal Gentiles upon their repentance. The Gentiles are here
called no people, and a foolish nation, that is, not
the professing people of God. How much soever there be of the wit
and wisdom of the world, those that are not the people of God are,
and in the end will be found to be, a foolish people. Such was the
state of the Gentile world, who yet were made the people of God,
and Christ to them the wisdom of God. What a provocation it was to
the Jews to see the Gentiles taken into favour we may see,
Acts xiii. 45; xvii. 5,
13, and especially Acts
xxii. 22. It was an instance of the great wickedness of
the Jews that they were thus enraged; and this in Deuteronomy is
the matter of a threatening. God often makes people's sin their
punishment. A man needs no greater plague than to be left to the
impetuous rage of his own lusts.

Secondly, Another is taken from
Isa. lxv. 1, 2, which is
very full, and in it Esaias is very bold—bold indeed, to speak so
plainly of the rejection of his own countrymen. Those that will be
found faithful have need to be very bold. Those that are resolved
to please God must not be afraid to displease any man. Now Esaias
speaks boldly and plainly,

a. Of the preventing grace and
favour of God in the reception and entertainment of the Gentiles
(v. 20): I was
found of those that sought me not. The prescribed method is,
Seek and find; this is a rule for us, not a rule for God, who is
often found of those that do not seek. His grace is his own,
distinguishing grace his own, and he dispenses it in a way of
sovereignty, gives of withholds it at pleasure—anticipates us with
the blessings, the riches choicest blessings, of his goodness. Thus
he manifested himself to the Gentiles, by sending the light of the
gospel among them, when they were so far from seeking him and
asking after him that they were following after lying vanities, and
serving dumb idols. Was not this our own particular case? Did not
God begin in love, and manifest himself to us when we did not ask
after him? And was not that a time of love indeed, to be often
remembered with a great deal of thankfulness?

b. Of the obstinacy and perverseness
of Israel, notwithstanding the fair offers and affectionate
invitations they had, v.
21. Observe,

(a.) God's great goodness to them:
All day long I have stretched forth my hands. [a.]
His offers: I have stretched forth my hands, offering them
life and salvation with the greatest sincerity and seriousness that
can be, with all possible expressions of earnestness and
importunity, showing them the happiness tendered, setting it before
them with the greatest evidence, reasoning the case with them.
Stretching forth the hands is the gesture of those that require
audience (Acts xxvi. 1), or
desire acceptance, Prov. i.
24. Christ was crucified with his hands stretched out.
Stretched forth my hands as offering reconciliation—come
let us shake hands and be friends; and our duty is to give the hand
to him, 2 Chron. xxx. 8.
[b.] His patience in making these offers: All day
long. The patience of God towards provoking sinners is
admirable. He waits to be gracious. The time of God's patience is
here called a day, lightsome as a day and fit for work and
business, but limited as a day, and a night at the end of it. he
bears long, but he will not bear always.

(b.) Their great badness to him.
They were a disobedient gainsaying people. One word in the
Hebrew, in Isaiah, is here well explained by two; not only
disobedient to the call, not yielding to it, but gainsaying, and
quarrelling with it, which is much worse. Many that will not accept
of a good proposal will yet acknowledge that they have nothing to
say against it: but the Jews who believed not rested not there, but
contradicted and blasphemed. God's patience with them was a very
great aggravation of their disobedience, and rendered it the more
exceedingly sinful; as their disobedience advanced the honour of
God's patience and rendered it the more exceedingly gracious. It is
a wonder of mercy in God that his goodness is not overcome by man's
badness; and it is a wonder of wickedness in man that his badness
is not overcome by God's goodness.